Hydrogenative ring-rearrangement of biomass derived 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural to 3-(hydroxymethyl) cyclopentanol using combination catalyst systems of Pt/SiO2 and lanthanoid oxides

Combination catalyst systems composed of Pt/SiO2 and lanthanoid oxides (Pt/SiO2 + LOx) efficiently catalyze the hydrogenative ring-rearrangement of 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural (HMF) in water to produce 3-(hydroxymethyl) cyclopentanol (HCPO), which can be a unique building block for new materials derived from biomass. We investigated the reason for the efficient hydrogenative ring-rearrangement on Pt/SiO2 + LOx in terms of the acid-base properties of reaction systems, since H+ and Lewis acids can affect the rearrangement of the furan ring. It is indicated that the ring-rearrangement efficiently proceeds under slightly acidic conditions (pH = 5-7) with moderate or a little weak Lewis acidity of lanthanoid oxides.